Forest officials rescue leopard cub from open well in Junagadh

Forest officials bravely rescued a three-year-old leopard cub, the big cat fell in the well in Aambaliya village in Junagadh.

A forest official, AB Kaneriya after the successful rescue operation yesterday said, "The leopard was trapped alive inside a well. Soon after getting the information our police and forest department authority rushed to the site and rescued the leopard safely."

Earlier, an eight-member team of forest officials reached the site after a local farmer spotted the leopard inside the well. After an effort of nearly half an hour, forest guards were able to tranquilise and cage the animal.

With the spread of the news, good number of locals gathered at the rescue site to catch a glimpse of the big cat. However, locals complained of having faced similar situations in the past. An agitated local Chandresh Dhaduk said this is not a first. Big cats are under threat, with increasing number of these spotted feline beauties being poached for their hide and body parts.

Depletion of their habitat has also threatened the leopards, forcing them to stray into human settlements - attacking people, poultry birds and livestock cattle - and often getting killed in return.